My only problem with this initiative is that it falls far short of the mark of protecting all Americans. Right now, only the major media outlets have full free-speech rights in an election. This bill would extend free speech to the Internet. Here's an idea: Why don't we give everyone back their first amendment rights, as I wrote here:

These past few weeks, we have been debating whether this media
exemption from speech restrictions should be extended to bloggers. At
first, I was in favor. Then I was torn.
Now, I am pissed. The more I think of it, it is insane that we are
creating a 2-tiered system of first amendment rights at all, and I
really don't care any more who is in which tier. Given the wording of
the Constitution, how do I decide who gets speech and who doesn't - it
sounds like everyone is supposed to:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to
assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

I
have come to the conclusion that arguing over who gets the media
exemption is like arguing about whether a Native American in 1960's
Alabama should use the white or the colored-only bathroom: It is an
obscene discussion and is missing the whole point, that the facilities
shouldn't be segregated in the first place.

Excuse me, but I have been on a crusade of my own of late to get people to stop comparing the current federal spending spree to drunken sailors. It unfairly gives drunken sailors a bad name. Not only has no drunken sailor ever expected me to pick up the tab, but probably not all of them together could have put me personally a few hundred thousand in the red, much less a all of us a few trillion. Besides that, drunken sailors eventually pass out and - here's the kicker - they STOP SPENDING! There is no evidence that this Congress or President ever will. In fact, when things pick up, Delay might countenance a tiny bit of fat sneaking back into the budget.

Thank you for your future attention to this detail.

http://www.zianet.com/ehusman/weblog/blogger.html Eric H

Excuse me, but I have been on a crusade of my own of late to get people to stop comparing the current federal spending spree to drunken sailors. It unfairly gives drunken sailors a bad name. Not only has no drunken sailor ever expected me to pick up the tab, but probably not all of them together could have put me personally a few hundred thousand in the red, much less a all of us a few trillion. Besides that, drunken sailors eventually pass out and - here's the kicker - they STOP SPENDING! There is no evidence that this Congress or President ever will. In fact, when things pick up, Delay might countenance a tiny bit of fat sneaking back into the budget.